1. Field of the Present Invention
The present invention generally relates to computer systems, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling units that transfer data between buses having different ordering polices.
2. Description of Related Art
The evolution of the computer industry has been driven by the insatiable appetite of the consumer for ever increased speed and functionality. One species that the evolution has created is the multi-processor computer.
The multi-processor systems, in similarity to other computer systems, have many different areas that are ripe for improvements. Once such area is the processing of bus operations between buses which have differing ordering rules/policies.
Specifically, in certain systems, it is necessary or advisable to have differing bus ordering policies for the processor and system bus. For example, the processor bus in a system may follow a particular in-order policy, whereas the system bus follows an out-of-order policy.
In such systems, the transferring of data between the differing buses must be managed with care to satisfy the ordering politics of both buses.
It would, therefore, be a distinct advantage to have a method and apparatus that could coordinate the transfer of data between buses having different ordering policies. The present invention provides such a method and apparatus.